(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Brian T. Kenner to reveal over 20 projects now available to Washington, DC’s development community. The announcement came at DMPED’s March Madness, an annual effort to create more quality affordable housing, support small and local business, and expand job opportunities for DC residents.
“Continued development means jobs and housing. That is consistent with our push for inclusive prosperity, which starts with ensuring every DC resident has access to safe and affordable housing, a good paying job, and opportunities to share in our continued economic growth,” said Mayor Bowser. “Over the past two years, we have worked to create unprecedented levels of engagement and transparency. By using tools like OurRFP, we are putting residents on the front end of deciding the future of their neighborhoods, and with events like March Madness, we are forecasting our development opportunities for residents, nonprofits and business owners so all have an opportunity to participate.”
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development announced three new projects available for development, including two from the New Communities Initiative and one using the OurRFP initiative:
- Northwest One, 2 Patterson Street (Ward 6) – New Communities Initiative
- Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings Master Developer (Ward 7) – New Communities Initiative
- Eastern Branch Boys and Girls Club (Ward 6) – OurRFP
“March Madness projects spur inclusive prosperity to more corners of the District. I look forward to working with residents, agency partners, local and small business, and the development community to ensure these future developments deliver for DC residents and neighborhoods,” said Deputy Mayor Kenner.
Mayor Bowser and Deputy Mayor Kenner were joined by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Department of General Services (DGS), the Office of Public-Private Partnerships (OP3), Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), and the Office of Planning (OP) to announce new development and economic opportunities across all eight wards.
(Detailed information on each development opportunity can be found at dmped.dc.gov.)
DHCD announced opportunities for:
- 1414 22nd Street, SE (Ward 8)*
- 1615 V Street, SE (Ward 8)
- 1637 V Street, SE (Ward 8)*
- 2206 16th Street, SE (Ward 8)*
- 1444, 1452, 1454 Alabama Ave, SE (Ward 8)*
- 2352, 2356, 2360 High Street, SE (Ward 8)*
- 2017 Consolidated Request for Proposals for Affordable Housing Projects - primary vehicle for awarding federal and local funds for affordable housing
- Single Family Residential Rehabilitation Program/Critical Home Repair Request for Applications - makes funds available for qualified homeowners to finance home repairs
Property Acquisition and Disposition (PADD)*
DPR announced opportunities for:
- East Potomac Swimming Pool (Ward 2)
- Edgewood Recreation Center & Park (Ward 5)
- Fort Greble Urban Nature Center (Ward 8)
OP3 announced opportunities for:
- Daly Building Police Headquarters (Ward 2)
- Corrections Center (Ward 7)
DME announced opportunities for:
- Fletcher-Johnson School (Ward 7)
- Winston Education Campus (Ward 7)
DGS also presented The Launch Pad, a new pilot initiative aimed at engaging local Certified Business Enterprises (CBE) by giving them the opportunity to receive small contract awards with the DC Government for innovative ideas tied to citywide development. Following a concept similar to the nationally televised show “Shark Tank,” local CBEs compete for a business contract of up to $10,000 with the DC Government.
DMPED also launched the “Neighborhood Prosperity Fund,” a $3 million pilot program to fund the gap in non-residential components of mixed-use projects in targeted neighborhoods where unemployment is above 10%. The program aligns with Mayor Bowser’s broad Economic Strategy goal of lowering unemployment across race, class and geography to below 10%.
Today is also the first day that residents and stakeholders can formally propose amendments to DC’s Comprehensive Plan, a 20-year plan the DC Government uses to guide future development within Washington, DC. Lead by the Office of Planning (OP), the Comprehensive Plan contains the maps and policies that influence the neighborhoods where people live, work, shop, and play, as well as the investments the city makes in its services and infrastructure. Most importantly, it is the primary tool that helps Washington, DC manage change in a way that embraces progress while protecting the qualities that make DC a unique and vibrant city. Amendment proposal feedback runs through May 26, 2017. A set of amendments to the existing Comprehensive Plan will be submitted as legislation for DC Council approval in early 2018.
Additionally, DMPED announced Community Three Development and Torti Gallas + Partners along with their cultural partner, CulturalDC, as the new development team for Grimke School, a historic redevelopment site at 912 U Street, NW in Ward 1. In the original Grimke School, the team’s exciting proposal will provide: a permanent, brand new home for the African American Civil War Museum (AACWM); nearly 5,000 square feet of new space programmed by CulturalDC; and the international headquarters of Torti Gallas + Partners - an architecture and design firm dedicated to the District’s urban revitalization – which are relocating from Maryland to DC. Beyond the rehabilitation of the Grimke School, the project will include approximately 50 units of housing, of which 30 percent will be affordable, as well as approximately 4,000 square feet of retail on U Street. Community Three and Torti Gallas have a combined 75 years of development and design experience. This new proposal will rejuvenate a vacant building, provide a beautiful new home for the AACWM, add strong cultural uses to this corner of U Street, bring over 100 jobs, and create more affordable housing.
Since taking office in 2015, the Bowser Administration has focused on delivering economic development opportunities that put more residents on pathways to the middle class. Notable accomplishments include:
- completed a land purchase agreement with the U.S. Army to move the redevelopment of Walter Reed forward, a project that will generate 6,000 jobs and $1 billion in new tax revenue;
- committed over $100 million to the Housing Production Trust Fund each year in office, helping to deliver over 3,100 affordable housing units serving over 6,800 DC residents;
- broke ground on a new state-of-the-art Entertainment and Sports Arena at St. Elizabeths East in Ward 8, creating over 900 jobs and bringing much needed economic opportunity to Congress Heights;
- increased spending for Small Business Enterprises by $600 million;
- introduced the most aggressive economic development legislation agenda in DC’s history, including 10 development projects that will produce 800 affordable housing units and over 4,400 jobs;
- moved forward with all four New Community Initiative development projects, with over 1,000 units completed to date;
- broke ground on In3, DC’s first-ever Inclusive Innovation Incubator, a venture capital space for DC’s emerging startups and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities; and
- finalized the new DC United soccer stadium deal that will deliver over 1,000 job opportunities for DC residents and expand economic growth along the Anacostia River.
For more information on 2017 March Madness opportunities, visit: dmped.dc.gov.